Getting There!

Slowly but surely we are getting there! 

It took some time, and it took some help.....

 but I finally got the existing porch mostly removed!

Oh happy day!!!!!!!!!!

Oodie, our dog, stayed close at hand to cheer us on!!

After it was down I needed to attach the ledger board to the house and put in the joist hangers...that is the long board under the door below and those silver-y doodads.

Then we (we as in my fabulous hubby and son-in-law) dug four really deep holes....

....filled them with concrete, and inserted another silver-y doodad in a very straight line while the concrete was wet. 

And then we let it all dry!! 

And today we have four beautiful concrete piers waiting for the posts to be attached next week!!

I have needed way more help than I anticipated, but I have also learned a lot, which has been fun. 

One thing that I keep thinking about is how important it has been to keep focused on the end goal. I tend to ditch things when they get difficult....which is why I am NOT a crafty person!!...but I have tried to stay focused on the final product...the finished deck.

But....there is so much to learn in the process, and those lessons have helped to make it easier to keep working through the problems and issues I have hit.

For example...taking the existing deck down was sooooo difficult, especially taking off the decking boards on the top.

The first one that I had to get off with a pry bar took me a really long time and I got super frustrated and almost quit. 

But the thing is, after that board came off I had more faith in my ability to get the next deck board off and so on. I found that every time I was able to get through one issue, I felt more confident in my ability to conquer the next one.

The key so far for me has been staying focused on the final goal, increased confidence through trials, and knowing where to go for help...kinda similar to life.

As I walk through my life I need to keep my eye on the goal...a day when my Creator will say "Well done good and faithful servant."

But I am also learning so much through the process of life. And every trial I face increases my faith in my Creator God's ability to sustain me.

And as I journey I learn more and more where to go for help. 

Building my deck has led me to seek help from my deck design, a "How to Build a Deck" book, and people with experience.

In life I look for help from the same...my Designer, His "How to Live Life" book, and people with experience. 

So for now, I will keep on learning, asking, and building with the hope that one day soon I will sit in my rocking chair on my deck and watch the sun go down :)